China Copper Mines Limited has won the go ahead to build a US$100 million (KR530m) copper leach plant on the Copperbelt. The Zambia Environmental management agency (ZEMA), says it has allowed China Copper Mines Ltd to proceed with its copper project in Fitula area about 12 kilometres South West of Chingola town on the Copperbelt.

The project will involve the development of the Fitula open copper pits to produce copper cathode from around five mineral waste dumps. It will leach 600,000 tonnes of ore material to produce about 3,000 to 5,000 tonnes of electrowon copper per annum and about 500 permanent jobs are expected to be created by the proposed project.

As part of the approval China Copper Mines Limited would need to undertake a study to establish the presence and availability of aquatic life in Fitula stream and other water bodies surrounding the project area and assess the significance of the project impacts on aquatic life during the life of the project.

China Copper Mines Limited is a private company, registered in Zambia, owned by Chinese shareholders, and is not publicly listed. The Fitula project will be its first undertaking in the country.

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